During the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in physical activity as both a pastime and a means of acquiring and maintaining good health. Much of the current interest in exercise and other similar activities is based on the recent findings that correlate longevity with active lifestyles. Pursuant to this increased awareness, a corresponding increase in the variety of exercise activities has spawned a plethora of new businesses focused on servicing the needs of this new market.
Many exercise routines are directly focused on the stomach, hips and back as a means for reducing weight and developing a more attractive figure. Almost all structured aerobic exercise routines have a significant portion of their workout concentrated on the stomach, hips and back. These anatomical areas are the first to collect fat in appreciable quantities and therefore engender the most concern from those in pursuit of a slimmer figure.
Conventional forms of exercising the stomach, hip and back muscles include such classic routines as the "sit-up", "leg raises", and "back arches". These routines are often performed over many cycles on a hard surface such a floor, or at best, a pad placed on a floor. These routines cause major stress on back muscles and the vertebrae of the spine, and irritation of the tail bone. Persons suffering from various levels of back problems or similar ailments simply cannot perform more than a handful of sit-ups without increasing levels of pain and discomfort. For the most part, persons with limited capability to do sit-ups are relegated to much less effective forms of exercise.
It has been discovered over the years that water borne exercise involves significantly less stress during a workout while providing the same level or even a greater level of exercise. Aquatic exercising has become a dominate form of physical therapy for persons suffering from bad backs, knee disorders and for the elderly. While the field of aquatic exercise has boomed, it has remained concentrated on only a few forms of exercise and thus limited to certain muscle groups. In particular, aquatic exercise is presently dominated by exercise routines such as swimming, jogging, jumping, and certain arm and leg movements. For the most part, there have been few, if any specific routines directed to the stomach, hips, and back. This void is mostly reflective of the fact that these muscle groups cannot be readily exercised in an aquatic environment.
It was with this understanding of the problems of the prior art that the present invention was developed.